It had been absolutely ages since I had ventured through the doorway of WH Smith, a place I had considered "an oasis of joy" as a kid. I had intended to "pick up a mag" (wargaming) - again something I had not done in ages (years). Sadly the copy of Wargames Illustrated lacked the interest for me to part with a £5. Sad but true. On the way out, feeling frustrated, I noticed a cardboard FSDU (Free Standing Display Unit) with a variety of "magazines" with hobby toys attached to them and decided to have a mooch - previously I had found 1/144 scale planes and the like in it. I then had a "stop me in my tracks" moment as this stared up at me (see below):
A magazine and a really nice looking 1/72 model kit - far better than the typical "tank collector series" stuff. A Stug III (O-Series), the "original" prototypes, before the Ausf A. The only upsetting thing was that it was issue 3 .. I had missed a PzIIa and PzIIIa early war versions (and I mean really early war versions, things not in my collection). Check out the stuff from
IBG Models it all looks esoteric and well researched! Dare I mention the Hungarian Toldi I, II and III; the Hungarian Turan I, II and III; the Swedish M38, M39 and M40 and Japanese Type 89 in various forms to whet your appetite?
It also means I have a third early Stug III. One O-Series to go with my two Fujimi Stug III Ausf A's so guess what I could play "What a Tanker" with them ;)